17 Cancer Facts You Need to Know

01) Prevention

Scientific experts worldwide agree that at least half of all cancers and cancer-related deaths are preventable. In 2012, two million deaths globally were attributed to cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Half of these deaths could be prevented.

02) Definition

Cancer is the single name assigned to more than 100 diseases. Though cancer was once referred to as a “wasting disease,” it’s actually the result of abnormal cells that multiply and spread out of control, damaging healthy cells along the way. Most cancers result in tumors, but those that affect the blood do not. Cancer can occur in any part of your body.

03) Genetics

Only a very small percentage of cancers (between 5-10%) have a genetic link. When the “experts” tell you most cancers are genetic, they’re not being truthful. However, despite the statement that research confirms most patients didn’t inherit some mysterious “cancer curse” from their parents, immediate families tend to have the same habits, eat the same foods, and are exposed to the same toxins. That’s a cancer fact that makes sense. Cleaning up your diet, exercising, and detoxification are extremely important for every member of your family.

04) Pollution

Environmental factors can increase your risk of cancer. The air you breathe, the water you drink, and the food you eat are all important. Pollution, heavy metal toxicity, and even personal care and household cleaning products can damage the cells in your body. Your home and workplace are the two places you spend the majority of your time. Evaluating (and then reducing) the possible toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis is a strong step to cancer prevention.

05) Smoking

More than 90% of all lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and 22% of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer resulting from smoking. Tobacco product use is the most preventable cause of cancer worldwide. Survival rates for lung cancer are less than 20% and if you’re a smoker who’s exposed to inhaled toxins where you work, your chance of survival drops to just over 3%. It’s the carcinogenic chemicals used in the process of manufacturing tobacco products that cause cancer and not the tobacco itself. A single cigarette contains 69 known cancer-causing carcinogens and over 4,000 chemicals. Someone dies from lung cancer every 30 seconds around the world…that’s about the time it took you to read this paragraph.

06) Sleep

This is a cancer fact that many don’t see coming. Sleep deprivation – defined as getting less than six hours of sleep per day – increases your risk of colon cancer. Recent studies also showed a higher risk of cancer among those who work night shift schedules. It makes sense. The benefit of healing sleep is one of the most underestimated ways to keep your body strong and cancer-free.

07) Children

175,000 children are being diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year. Cancer is the #1 disease killer in children. Today, cancer (and cancer treatments) will claim the lives of children more than complications from congenital birth defects, type 1 diabetes, and asthma combined. The survival rates among children with cancer are not improving because the conventional treatments (chemo and radiation) make things worse and there’s very little emphasis on finding the cause rather than merely treating symptoms.

08) Nitrates

Popular cold cuts, sausage, hot dogs, and bacon contain nitrates. They’re listed on the label as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrite. Nitrates are chemical additives used in processed meats to preserve them and add flavor. Preparation with high heat and ingestion causes a chemical reaction with the digestive fluids in your body, converting nitrates to nitrites, which is a known carcinogen. Nitrates also filter into groundwater from the use of fertilizer – so be sure to filter your drinking water.

09) Mortality

Globally, one in every eight deaths is caused by cancer. A painful cancer fact is that this disease causes more deaths than malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS combined. Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occur to those of low and middle incomes. Currently, there are about 33 million cancer survivors around the world (within 5 years of diagnosis).

10) Women

Breast, colorectal, lung & bronchus, cervical, and stomach cancer are the most common types worldwide for which women are diagnosed (new cases) according to statistics gathered by WHO. Early detection increases breast cancer survival rates substantially.

11) Men

Lung & bronchus, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver are the most common types worldwide for which men are diagnosed (new cases), according to statistics gathered by WHO.

12) Age

In economically developed countries, 58% of cancer diagnoses are in people 65 years of age or older. In developing countries, people over 65 account for 40% of new cancer cases.

13) Obesity

Research has confirmed that obesity increases your risk of cancer as well as every other major disease or condition. It can also affect your chances of survival should you be diagnosed. In one study of post-menopausal women with breast cancer, the survival rates were higher in women who maintained a healthy body weight. Prediabetes increases your risk of cancer by 15% in addition to the risk from obesity.

14) Detection

You may experience no symptoms of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, or colon cancer until the cancer cells spread to other areas of your body. Early screening is imperative to catching these cancers in time.

15) Skin

Non-melanoma skin cancers are not tracked in cancer registries, but skin cancer is the most common cancer. Every year, skin cancer cases increase steadily. Mainstream science (and the sunscreen industry) blame exposure to the sun, but this is not accurate. Smart sun exposure increases your body’s production of vitamin D (via the interaction of UV light with cholesterol in your skin). Just 30 minutes of early morning or late afternoon unprotected time with sun on your hands and face is enough for your body to produce this critical vitamin. However, you must avoid burning! Sunscreen blocks the rays that help in vitamin D production and contains chemicals such as octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) which kills lab mice cells at low doses, increases toxicity when exposed to sunlight, and is present in 90% of sunscreen brands! Since sunscreen is applied directly to the skin, it immediately enters your bloodstream to wreak havoc on your body at the cellular level.

16) Apoptosis

Healthy cells have a built-in directive to commit “cell suicide” called apoptosis. This is the process by which the cell recognizes that damage is present and destroys itself to protect the rest of the body. In cancer cells, this automatic process is absent. However, scientists don’t know the reason for the same. Cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and heart disease have all been linked to a breakdown in apoptosis. There are foods proven to force this process to engage in cancer cells, destroying them naturally and safely.

17) Nutrition

What you eat matters. The most common cancer-causing foods are refined sugar and flour, soda, microwave popcorn, food in cans produced with BPA, grilled or processed meat, and hydrogenated oils. The choices you make every day can raise or lower your personal cancer risk. As mentioned in #16, there are specific foods that trigger damaged cells (such as those that lead to cancer) to self-destruct via apoptosis. Green tea, berries, turmeric, avocados, garlic, kale, and even dark chocolate are just a few that target and destroy cancer cells. You can prevent and fight cancer from the inside out.